U.S. President-elect Donald Trump delivers remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 16, 2024.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on a simmering feud among MAGA allies over H-1B employee visas, telling the New York Post that he helps this system, in accordance with the outlet.
Trump advised the New York Post that he has “all the time appreciated the visas.” The H-1B visa program permits employers to briefly rent non-U.S. residents for extremely expert jobs.
“I’ve many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I’ve used it many occasions. It’s an excellent program,” he mentioned, in accordance with the outlet’s report.
A spokesperson for the Trump transition group didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
During his first time period, the Trump administration applied guidelines that will have reduce the variety of H-1B visas issued annually. The guidelines, nevertheless, had been ultimately struck down in court docket.
In latest days, MAGA world has been embroiled in a debate over this system, with one faction defending the visas and one other faction arguing that this system permits foreigners to take American jobs.
Trump allies, together with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, argued in online posts that the visa program advantages the nation.
Musk mentioned in a publish this week that “the variety of people who find themselves tremendous gifted engineers AND tremendous motivated within the USA is way too low.”
Musk, who was born in South Africa and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, mentioned that the explanation he and others who constructed SpaceX and Tesla are within the U.S. is due to the H-1B program.
“Take a giant step again and F— YOURSELF within the face,” he mentioned in a post. “I’ll go to battle on this problem the likes of which you can not probably comprehend.”
Musk mentioned in a post to X that “these contemptible fools have to be faraway from the Republican Party,” later clarifying that he was referring to “these within the Republican Party who’re hateful, unrepentant racists.”
Musk’s posts got here in reply to a post from Scott Adams, the creator of the “Dilbert” comedian, who mentioned, “MAGA is taking a web page from Democrats on learn how to lose elections whereas feeling good about themselves.”
Separately, Ramaswamy, who’s partnering with Musk to steer Trump’s nongovernmental Department of Government Efficiency, argued in a publish to X that he hopes American tradition once more prioritizes “arduous work over laziness.”
Ramaswamy additionally mentioned in a publish to X on Friday that the H-1B visa program “is badly damaged & must be changed with one which focuses on choosing the perfect of the very best (not a lottery), pro-competitive (no indentured service to 1 firm), and de-bureaucratized.”
Republicans who criticized H-1B visas included far-right activists Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley additionally weighed in, calling it “lazy” for the “tech trade to routinely go to overseas employees for his or her wants.”
“Invest in our American workforce,” she mentioned in a post to X on Friday. “We should put money into Americans first earlier than trying elsewhere.”
Musk additionally faced accusations of censoring critics after greater than a dozen conservatives, together with Loomer, mentioned their blue badge verification on X had been revoked after they criticized Musk over his views on immigration.
